Ferrari defend qualifying tactics

Ferrari had no regrets for setting the tone which turned pre-qualifying into a farce and resulted in Bernie Ecclestone slamming what transpired as “very stupid.”

With rain clouds threatening to disrupt the official qualifying session of the British Grand Prix, Ferrari chose an unusual pre-qualifying tactic for Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello.

In an attempt to post a slow time and ensure they were among the first on the track for qualifying, so avoiding the rain forecast for later in the run, Schumacher and Barrichello faked mistakes.

It failed to fool their rivals who opted for more conventional tactics in posting their own slow times, with several drivers easing up on their lap, with Jaguar’s Christian Klien the ‘winner’ with a time almost 20 seconds off the pace.

Formula One supremo Ecclestone, whose attempts at revamping qualifying were recently scuppered, was left angry at the scenes he witnessed.

“It was all very stupid, but it’s nothing to do with those involved, it’s the system,” stated Ecclestone, who will again attempt to push through an alternative format, adding: “The system needs changing and we will try and change it.”

Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn was unrepentant with the strategy he adopted and said: “Our weather forecast predicted rain for the second half of the qualifying session, therefore we did not want to risk being among the last out on track.

“We tried to do it in such a way the other teams would not understand our intentions, but they did the same thing anyway. It was a strategic drive.”

Barrichello feels the teams used the current qualifying rules to their advantage and like Ecclestone believes it is time for a change.

“I did run deliberately wide at Vale to get a slower time in pre-qualifying. It seemed a nicer way of doing it than just going slowly,” revealed Barrichello, who will start from second on the grid as he chases a second successive victory at Silverstone.

“I don’t see anything wrong with what I and many other drivers did. It is a result of the qualifying format.

“In a situation like this you have to be selfish and think of your strategy, but I think we need to make the format better.”

As for Schumacher, the six-times world champion also revealed Ferrari’s pre-qualifying plans were deliberate, stating: “It was an interesting session.

“For strategic reasons we chose not to look too good, however, in qualifying the conditions remained much the same and I had a good lap.”

Schumacher amusingly added: “Actually, we were right about the rain – but the circuit seemed to be in the wrong place!”